


REALLY Not in the Mood

by ZoneRobotnik



Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon), Tangled (2010)
Genre: Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Varian Angst (Disney), a healthy dose of pessimism gives you a whole new perspective
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-03
Updated: 2020-09-04
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:20:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,316
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26274760
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZoneRobotnik/pseuds/ZoneRobotnik
Summary: Rapunzel's birthday is disrupted by a mood potion infecting everyone, and she's pretty sure she knows who's responsible.(Rewrite of "Secret of the Sundrop".)
Relationships: Cassandra & Varian (Disney: Tangled), Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider & Varian, Rapunzel & Varian (Disney)
Comments: 15
Kudos: 119





	1. 1

**Author's Note:**

> Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (c) Disney
> 
> (For annernaner5 on Instagram)

If Rapunzel had a gold coin for every time she got tricked into taking mood potion, she’d have two gold coins. Which isn’t a lot, but it’s _weird_ that it happened twice. The worst part was, she couldn’t tell how it got into her body this time, and she was _furious!_ Some _creep_ got it in their head to put a mood potion into the food or drink or _something_ on her birthday, and now…well…  
  
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry, please don’t yell at me!” Eugene whimpered, curling up on the floor.  
  
“Let’s play!” The Captain of the Guards said as he picked up his peppy daughter.  
  
“Whee!” Cassandra laughed.  
  
“Have you read his latest letter? HAVE you?!” Her father said, pulling something out of his shirt. “Look at this! Look at—I am going to _tear him apart_!”  
  
“Only if I get front-row seats.” Her mother said, leaning against him as she sat in her chair sideways.  
  
 _Someone_ was going to pay for this. Rapunzel didn’t know _who_ yet, but _someone_ was. Her first thought went to Xavier, Pascal and Maximus, since it was _their_ fault before. But that didn’t sound right. After all, the animals were _also_ acting strange. She stormed out into town to cool her head and escape her father’s rants about King Trevor and the implication that there would be a war by tomorrow, Well, theoretically, this should all have _stopped_ by tomorrow, so _hopefully_ she wouldn’t have to deal with that _annoyance_.  
  
“Sunshine? Rapunzel?” Eugene came out to find her.  
  
“What do _you_ want?!” She snapped, making him shrink back in fear.  
  
“Aww, someone needs a _hug_!” Cassandra came out to join her and hugged her tightly.  
  
“Can you—stop?!” She jerked away from her Lady-in-Waiting. “Seriously, what is _wrong_ with you?! Ugh, no, I _know_ what’s wrong with you!”  
  
“Mood potion!” Cassandra said joyfully.  
  
“B-But, how did this happen _again_?” Eugene asked nervously.  
  
“Ugh, think, think.” Rapunzel started to pace. “If it’s not _Xavier_ , then who…” She gasped, looking towards the woods. “ _Varian_.” She said venomously.  
  
“Uh oh!” Cassandra gasped.  
  
“T-The alchemist that is very capable of _killing_ us if he wanted to?” Eugene asked nervously.  
  
“ _I_ am going to tear that brat _apart_!” Rapunzel stormed off to the bridge.  
  
“Wait, no, you’re not in your right mind!” Eugene ran over and grabbed her arm. Rapunzel jerked her arm away furiously. “S-Sorry! Sorry! But, maybe we should…wait? This will wear off, won’t it? O-Or, we can find that...uh…that _thing_ we needed to find before! What was it?”  
  
“Hell if I know! And Xavier is utterly useless, just like _everyone else_!” She gestured around them. Somehow, _somehow_ , that _brat_ had gotten _everyone_ to take the mood potion! Everyone! Monty waved to her cheerfully and she raised a fist in reply before continuing across the bridge with her two tag-alongs following.  
  
“Maybe he just needs a hug!” Cassandra suggested.  
  
“I’ll give his _neck_ a hug with my _hand_!” Rapunzel snapped. “This time, he’s gone _too_ far!”  
  
“Maybe we should…tell your dad?” Eugene suggested.  
  
“Oh, what, so he can have people hang around Varian’s place again and _lie_ to me saying that he ‘took care of it’? No way! I’m going to deal with that over-intelligent pipsqueak _myself_!” She brushed her hair out of her face, but it just fell back into place again. “Ugh, he’s just so…so… _unreasonable_! Frustrating! Clearly, he never learned the lessons Mother Gothel taught me when I was growing up, which is to _not mess with adults_!”  
  
“Sunshine—”  
  
“Don’t you ‘Sunshine’ me.” She said firmly.  
  
“Why don’t we go get some horses?” Cassandra suggested.  
  
“It’d be quicker then…then walking.” Eugene added.  
  
“Fine. If we can find a horse that hasn’t been rendered _utterly useless_ , we will go find a horse.” She turned back, then paused, looking at black rocks that had sprouted up nearby. “Ugh. These things are _all over_.” She stormed off back across the bridge.  
  
They exchanged nervous glances.  
  
“Hey, watch where you’re going!” Pete the Guard snapped.  
  
“YOU watch it!” Rapunzel said, raising a fist.  
  
“Whoa, whoa!” Cassandra moved between them. “Come on, Rapunzel, save the punching for Varian!”  
  
“Varian?” Pete raised an eyebrow.  
  
“Yeah, we think he made us all…you know!” Cassandra grinned.  
  
“Wait, then this is just like with the truth cookies!” Pete realized. “But, what if it’s _not_ him? What if this is King Trevor, like the King says?”  
  
“Well, I’ll find that out when I go to visit him. Move.” Rapunzel shoved him out of the way and stormed off to the stable.  
  
Eugene and Cassandra followed her and soon they were on horses and riding off to Old Corona. When they reached it, Rapunzel hopped off the horses and stormed into Varian’s lab, slamming open the door. “VARIAN!”  
  
“Where…where _is_ he?” Eugene asked, looking around.  
  
“Check the house!” Cassandra suggested, heading off that way. They followed her.  
  
The house looked deserted, but clean. He had definitely been here recently, but not now. Rapunzel decided to investigate that fact and checked room after room, pausing when she got to what looked like his bedroom.  
  
“Uhh…are those metal things on the bed _safe_?” Eugene asked, pointing to some kind of fixture Varian must’ve built on the headboard.  
  
“Ohh!” Cassandra picked up a guitar lying by the wall and started to play it.  
  
“Well, he’s not in here.” Rapunzel said, storming out. “Varian! Come out, you little BRAT!”  
  
“Mind telling me why you’re in _my house_?” Varian asked, coming out of a side room.  
  
“Mind telling me why you decided to drug the entire castle again _on my birthday?!_ ” Rapunzel stormed up to him.  
  
He raised an eyebrow. “Rapunzel, I haven’t been in the castle since I took the flower. I’ve been focused on trying to save my father, why would I bother with the castle?” He turned to walk away.  
  
She grabbed his shirt and roughly yanked him back, slamming him to the floor with a cry of pain when she let go suddenly.  
  
“Whoa!” Cassandra ran over. “Ooookay, Rapunzel. There’s no need to be violent, let’s sit down and talk things out!”  
  
“Cassandra, don’t get in my way.” Rapunzel growled.  
  
“Geez,” Varian pushed himself up, “what got into _you_?”  
  
“Mood potion. Which, oh, _you_ happen to _have_!” Rapunzel snapped.  
  
“You think that I would use something like that and _not_ let you know I was involved?” He raised an eyebrow. “Really, Princess. A truth serum is one thing, but a _mood_ potion? What would I get out of it?” He brushed himself off. “Your Kingdom has no shortage of enemies, and your first thought was me. I’m _flattered_ , really, but you’ve got the wrong guy.”  
  
“I don’t believe you.” She said firmly. “ _Prove_ you aren’t the one who did this!”  
  
“And how would I do _that_?” _He walked away from her._ “Maybe you should ask one of my stalkers. Oh, wait, they all got withdrawn before I stole the flower. Something about being hit by a blast of energy. Shame about your tower, by the way, I followed and watched that. Maybe you should ask if anyone in town _saw me there_?”  
  
“I…” She glanced away. “Fine. _Fine._ I will look into that and find out if anyone’s seen you and, if they have, I’ll be coming back here to _wring your neck_.”  
  
He looked over his shoulder at her. “And if they haven’t? Are you coming back to apologize, or going back to pretending I don’t exist?”  
  
“Apologize? To _you_?” She shoved him and he stumbled forward a bit before turning to her. “You’re _lucky_ I don’t haul you off to _prison_ for what you’ve _already done_ , you little _thief_!”  
  
“What’s the big deal? It’s just a withered flower, it doesn’t even have any powers left.” He stepped back a bit. “So, this is what you’re like on Mood Potion. Violent, cruel, and bitter. Nice to see you’re on the same page now, maybe now you know why I did what I did.”  
  
“Ex _cuse_ me?” She hissed.  
  
“Not to be dramatic, but the day you had me _thrown out into a blizzard_ , my heart froze over. Also, I nearly died that day. Not fun.” He stepped back again, wary of turning around anywhere near her. “So, why don’t you just go back to your _precious Kingdom_ , and leave me to try to save my dad and figure out how to stop these _rocks_ your dad is ignoring. By the way, last I saw they were almost to the island. Have they gotten there yet?”  
  
Rapunzel clenched her fists. “You just stay put here, I’m going back to find out if anyone saw you.”  
  
“Yes, Your Highness.” He said, bowing at the waist before he walked over to sit at a table.  
  
“You’re really thin.” Cassandra said, coming over to look at him. “Have you eaten? Do you need a hug?”  
  
Eugene started to look around cautiously, jerking back from a kitchen knife.  
  
“Is _this_ madness what I missed before?” He asked with amusement.  
  
“Yeah! But it should wear off soon. Right?” Cassandra looked at Rapunzel.  
  
“Sure, assuming only _one drop_ was used.” Rapunzel scowled. “How much did you use?!”  
  
Varian stared at her blankly. “I didn’t _do_ it, Princess.”  
  
“We’ll see about _that_.” She went over to the door. “Come on, Cassandra! Eugene!”  
  


“Oh, but what if I stayed here, so he didn’t run away while we’re gone?” Cassandra suggested. “He looks like he needs the company.” She hugged Varian and he looked a bit flustered.  
  
“Fine. But JUST so we can make sure that when I uncover his little scheme, he gets what he deserves!” She stormed out with Eugene.  
  
“Nice to see that when her personality is switched, she is _just_ like her father.” Varian said sarcastically.  
  
“Awww, she’s not so bad!” Cassandra said, hugging him a bit tighter. “She just needs a hug every now and then, and moral support! Like you!”  
  
He glanced away. “Right…”  
  
\--  
  
By the time she got back to the city, things had gotten worse. Guards were hauling weapons onto a boat and there was chaos in the streets. She decided to start questioning anyone she managed to catch on if they’d seen Varian.  
  
The answers were: No, no, no, no, yes, but not since I threw a boot at him, no, no, wait, how long ago, no, no, no, no, wait, he’s still alive, no, no, why isn’t he in prison yet, no, no, no, why are you asking about HIM, no, no, no, no, no.  
  
No, no one had seen him, at least not since _before_ he took the flower. Either he was _very_ good at sneaking around, which she knew he was, or he really hadn’t been near the castle to drug everyone somehow.  
  
Her parents were busy with preparing to attack Equis, sure that this was their doing. She was _sure_ was Varian, though, so maybe if she directed his attention…  
  
No, he was too busy to talk to her. Fine! She’d just have to find proof it was him on her own! She started to inspect the party food, Eugene following after her.  
  
“He got it to _everyone in the city_ somehow.” She turned and headed back to the stables. “Maybe someone should give HIM a truth serum!”  
  
“Uh, S-Sunshine—”  
  
“WHAT?!” She turned to him and Eugene shrank back.  
  
“I, uh…shouldn’t we try to tell your dad to…to wait?” Eugene asked.  
  
“Oh, hey, Eugene, why don’t you be my guest?” She got onto her horse and took off for Old Corona. He looked back at the castle nervously and then got on his horse before following her.  
  
\--  
  
“Alright, Varian, how did you do it?!” Rapunzel asked, storming into the house.  
  
Varian looked up from eating something Cassandra probably made for him. “Do what?”  
  
“Get the mood potion into the city without anyone seeing you!” Rapunzel walked over and slammed her hands on the table.  
  
“Careful, it’s old.” Varian looked back at his food. “Simple answer: I didn’t.”  
  
“Yeah? Would you say that if I gave you a _truth serum_?” Rapunzel challenged.  
  
He chuckled. “You saw the bottle. I’m out. So, unless you want to wait around here for _days_ for me to make a new batch—”  
  
“I don’t _have_ days!” Rapunzel cut him off. “My father thinks Equis is to blame because of letters he’s been getting from King Trevor and they’re about to go to _war_!”  
  
Varian blinked up at her in surprise. “ _That_ escalated quickly.”  
  
“Why are you so _calm_ about this?!” She asked aggressively.  
  
“Well, frankly Princess, I don’t care. Nothing matters to me but getting my father back, and if I get killed during the coming war then maybe I’ll finally be at peace because, hahaha, _the flower is powerless_.” He banged his fist on the table. “And nothing else is working.”  
  
Rapunzel frowned and moved her hands to her hair before she sat down across from him. “Alright, look. _Maybe_ you didn’t do it, but you _can_ help _un_ do it. And I have no idea how long this will go; how much was used.”  
  
“How long did it take effect last time?” Varian asked, raising an eyebrow.  
  
“We cut it off early, but none of us can remember the way to take care of it and Xavier…he’s, uh…useless.” She clenched her fists on the table. “So, you’re the best shot we’ve got.”  
  
“Sounds like you’re feeling pretty desperate.” He set his empty dishes to the side and Cassandra took them to get washed.  
  
“I am. So, I have a proposal.” She slowly unclenched her fists. “ _Clearly_ , you don’t care one way or another about the Kingdom, so loyalty isn’t going to work. Violence seems to do nothing, you just get back up.”  
  
“Yeah, you can thank your dad sending the Royal Guard to terrorize me for weeks for _that_.” Varian said dryly.  
  
She took a deep breath, then released it. “But, you _do_ love your father. And the Sundrop Flower doesn’t have powers anymore, because all the magic went into _me_. So, assuming you translated it right, maybe I can help him.” She stood up. “Help us stop this war before it starts and I will do _everything in my power_ to free your father. And if the answer isn’t found here, I will search for a way to save him outside of Corona.”  
  
He looked up at her, then chuckled softly before standing up. “Is that a _promise_ , Princess?” He asked with a sly smile.  
  
She pursed her lips, her hands clenched. “Yes. And this is one I will keep, because I know that, if I don’t, you will make everyone I love suffer for it.”  
  
“Nice to see you’re finally capable of recognizing the threat I pose.” He walked off to his lab. “I’ll figure out a cure for you and we’ll get this whole thing handled. Of course, if the potion has been modified in any way, it may be difficult to cure.” He turned to her. “You might want to knock the king out and put him in the dungeon until we figure this out.” He said cheerfully. “I have knock-out powder.”  
  
Rapunzel frowned. “…Him and anyone else all for the war. How much do you have?”  
  
“I can make more. The problem is _getting_ it to them.” Varian said thoughtfully. “I suppose we _could_ put it in their _drinks_ , but I don’t know how well that would work. I could also use the gas form, but we’d need them all in one place and I’d have to drop it from above…maybe if you got it into the throne room and I was on the rafter…”  
  
“I can do that.” Rapunzel nodded firmly. “You just get it done and then we’re going to work on that cure. Got it?”  
  
“Yes, Princess.” He walked into his lab.  
  
“I _still_ think he’s behind it.” She fumed. “But he’s _also_ the only one who can _fix_ it.”  
  
“I think we can trust him!” Cassandra said cheerfully.  
  
“I’m honestly kind of scared he’s going to kill everyone.” Eugene admitted.  
  
“Ugh, I can _not_ wait for you both to be back to normal.” Rapunzel blew her hair out of her face.  
  
“S-Same here, about you.” Eugene said, glancing away.  
  
“Fair.” She walked off to Varian’s lab, frowning when she saw him already working, his goggles over his eyes. His pet raccoon was helping him, oddly enough, and she hated it, but she missed Pascal at that moment. If only he wasn’t so useless right now…  
  
“The other one, bud. Thanks.” Varian said, clearly talking to his raccoon. He didn’t seem to have noticed she was there yet. “The King is a priority; everyone is just to make sure they don’t carry out his orders.” He stroked his pet’s fur fondly. “It’ll be nice to see that creep behind bars, even if it’s only for a little while. It’s what he deserves, after treating us like we were no longer important to the Kingdom. And she’ll be keeping her promise this time, for sure.”  
  
Rapunzel moved a bit closer, listening to the raccoon chittering at him.  
  
“I hope that she’s this… _accommodating_ when she’s back to normal. I swear, you have to twist her arm to do _anything_ normally, she’s so… _difficult_.” Varian grumbled.  
  
“’Difficult’, huh?” Rapunzel raised an eyebrow.  
  
“Well, you _are_.” He looked over his shoulder at her. “You’re not supposed to be in my lab when I’m working. Distractions cause problems.”  
  
“Ah, so _that’s_ why you felt safe to talk behind my back.” She put her hands on her hips and raised an eyebrow.  
  
Varian chuckled. “Aw, what’re you gonna do, Princess? Put me in the stocks for _hurting your feelings_? Please, go back to the others and wait for me to finish my work.” He looked back at his alchemy. “See? Not even knocking. She just thinks the _whole world_ belongs to _her_ , even in someone else’s house.  
  
She sighed heavily and walked out, closing the door behind her. “Is he _always_ this…ugh.” She walked back over to the other two. “He _better_ hurry up. We’re wasting daylight here.”  
  
“Aww, cheer up! Here.” Cassandra handed her a drink and hugged her.  
  
“Wait.” Rapunzel paused. “Where’d you find this drink?”  
  
“In Varian’s cupboard. I gave him the same thing, don’t worry!” Cassandra assured her.  
  
Rapunzel eyed the lab warily as she drank it.  
  
Eugene wrapped his arms around himself. “Hey, uh…do you notice this house is full of…those rocks?”  
  
“They’re _everywhere_ here, Eugene.” Rapunzel said impatiently. “We _noticed_.”  
  
“Right. Sorry. Just…be careful with your hair, or things might…blow up.” Eugene glanced away awkwardly.  
  
The lab door opened and Varian stepped out with a backpack on. “Alright, let’s get this done.” He said, nodding to the door as Ruddiger hopped onto his shoulders.  
  
Rapunzel nodded and set down her cup before they headed for the door. “You’re riding with me, and we’re taking the tunnels like we did before while they secure our exit.”  
  
“Heh, good times _there_ , huh?” Varian headed outside.  
  
Rapunzel clenched her fists. “…I still need him. I _still_ need him.” She headed out after him.  
  
Cassandra looked at Eugene and then they headed out after them.


	2. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While stuck with Varian, Rapunzel learns more about the kid.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (c)

Once they got to the bridge, Varian showed Rapunzel a boat he’d used to sneak in before and they came in under the bridge and tied off at a secret dock area Rapunzel didn’t realize was there. Then he set down his backpack and pulled out a vial, which he poured a bit of powder out of before he tossed it at Rapunzel and then sprinkled more on himself and Ruddiger.  
  
“What’s this?” Rapunzel asked, gasping as she saw herself blending with the area.  
  
“Camouflage powder. It’s how I got around unnoticed before.” He said, sprinkling some on his bag before closing the vial and putting it away. Then he put the bag on and took her hand, leading her through the streets and towards the tunnels.  
  
“You know, if you have _this_ , then you _could_ have been responsible for the mood potion.” Rapunzel said suspiciously.  
  
“And, if I _was_ , would you turn me in and _not_ stop the war?” He asked. “We only have a certain amount of time before it wears off. Let’s not waste it by arguing. And be quiet, or we’ll be heard.”  
  
She clenched her fists tightly and bit back a retort, following him to the tunnels. She hated how easily he twisted her around, making her do what he wanted with just the right words and actions. It was pretty clear to her that he was responsible, but at this point she couldn’t turn back. That didn’t mean she would make this _easy_ for him, though.   
  
They got into the tunnels, and just in time; the powder lost effect as they left the streets.  
  
“Phew, that was close.” Varian said, brushing powder off himself as Ruddiger hopped down off his shoulders. Then he let out a yelp of pain when Rapunzel’s fist collided with his face, knocking him to the stone floor.  
  
“I can’t _believe_ you! You tricked me and lied to me, _again_! And you _ruined_ my birthday!”  
  
“Yeah, well, you ruined my _life_ , so we’re even.” He said, rubbing his nose. “The black rocks would’ve never been a problem if _you_ hadn’t touched them in the first place.” He pushed himself to his feet. “So, my dad being trapped is entirely _your_ fault.” He picked up his staff from before, which Rapunzel realized he must’ve left in here when he fled that day. “So, shall we press on, or are we going to wait until your dad has destroyed Equis in his misguided rage?”  
  
“Did Equis even _send_ those letters?” She asked suspiciously.  
  
He chuckled. “No. I found a letter from King Trevor in your father’s study and copied his handwriting perfectly, then sent them in. I mean, I heard he got _aggressive_ while under the effects of the mood potion, but that was _fast_.”  
  
“How much did you put in?!” Rapunzel demanded.  
  
“Oh…I’d say enough to last as long as he had the Royal Guard hunting me down. So…I’d say about five or six weeks.” Varian smirked. “Good thing you had the idea to come to me for help, hm?”  
  
“I came to you because I suspected you! And I was _right_!” Rapunzel grabbed his shirt roughly, yanking him closer to her. “When we’re _done_ with this—”  
  
“Then you have a promise to keep. ‘Help us stop this war before it starts, and I will do _everything in my power_ to free your father. And if the answer isn’t found here, I will search for a way to save him outside of Corona’.” He reminded her. “Or do you intend to _lie_ to me again? After all, it’s not like that’s how this whole thing between us started.”  
  
She tensed, then dropped him, stepping back. “Fine.” She walked on. “So? Have you learned anything new about those rocks?”  
  
“Only that nothing breaks them.” Varian got up and dusted himself off before he picked up his staff and they walked on together. Ruddiger caught up to them and nuzzled his leg. “No Pascal today?”  
  
She sighed heavily. “He’s refusing to go _anywhere_. He got some of that potion. And really? Five or six weeks? Isn’t that _excessive_?”  
  
“I dunno, ask your father.” He avoided a trap he’d tripped before. “Do you know what it’s like, being hunted down day after day, with no one to turn to? Having to run and hide just to find food, being chased by several people with identical appearances? To never know if you’re looking at a new one or the one you just escaped?” He looked at her. “Have you ever had to live knowing that your father is so close, but so far? To see him, but be unable to reach him, and the _whole time_ you’re being hounded by strange men and feeling abandoned by people who _claimed_ to be your friends?”   
  
He looked forward. “ _Six weeks_ , Princess. That’s how long it took for me to finally send a message to you. That’s how long it took for you to _finally remember I exist_. A little over two months. And I was _alone_ that whole time, with _no one_ to turn to, at the _King’s_ order.”  
  
She pursed her lips. “I can’t say anything about what my father did, but you said you understood that I couldn’t help you during the storm!”   
  
“SIX WEEKS!” He turned to her. “What had you SO busy that you couldn’t even pop in to make sure I survived my trip back?!”   
  
“Ugh!” She walked on. “Let’s just get this over with. I’m only with you right now because I have to be.”  
  
“Avoiding the question, Princess?” He asked with a cold smile. “Isn’t that _just like you_. It’s inconvenient, ignore it!”  
  
“I _don’t_ want to talk about what I went through. It was stupid and idiotic. _I_ was idiotic. I trusted my father, I nearly summoned a demon, I believed you were _just fine_ because, as they say, ‘no news is good news’! Except apparently not!”  
  
“When is ‘no news’ EVER ‘good news’?” Varian stopped short. “You nearly summoned a WHAT?!”  
  
“A demon. The demon Zhan Tiri, to be exact, who is the same demon that sent the blizzard that I sent you out in and FINE, I am SORRY for that! But do you have _any_ idea what it’s like to suddenly have all this responsibility, all these expectations, that you just can’t handle? I was making bad choices all day, and then the blizzard came and then _you_ came and people were scared and I was confused and then Nigel was overreacting and then my father apparently decided to take advantage of your being left alone to make sure you, what, stayed silent?!”  
  
The ground shook around them and Varian’s eyes widened as a black rock rose out of the ground. “…They’ve reached the city.”  
  
“Okay, so what do we do?” Rapunzel asked.  
  
“We continue our mission and use that boat they’re loading up to evacuate everyone after the King is knocked out.” Varian hurried on and Rapunzel followed him closely.  
  
“And what do we do if those rocks follow us?” Rapunzel looked over her shoulder.  
  
Varian stopped and looked back. “…Oh boy.”  
  
“What, no plan of action?” Rapunzel asked.  
  
“You can’t make a plan of action for something as unpredictable as these rocks!” He shook his head. “All we can do is avoid them.”  
  
“Avoid them. That’s your _strategy_ , o’ great alchemist?” She looked at him.  
  
“Unless you know a way to _destroy_ them.” He stepped back as another black rock came up near him.  
  
Rapunzel gasped as her hair started to glow. “Ugh, this _again._ Come on.” She grabbed his wrist and pulled him along, the two of them running until her hair finally stopped glowing. “We’ll worry about the rocks later, in a place that is less likely to _cave in on us_. I don’t have the map, so—”  
  
“This way.” He pulled his wrist free and walked off, leading Rapunzel through the tunnel.  
  
“Let me ask you something, just for curiosity’s sake. Do you feel _any_ remorse for stealing the flower?” She asked.  
  
He was silent for a while, then sighed. “A little. Just a little. Mostly because it didn’t work, so it was all _pointless_.”  
  
“And do you think your _dad_ will be happy when he hears about all this?” She asked firmly. “From what I saw, he’s not really the forgiving type. You’ve been a bad kid, Varian.”  
  
“When _haven’t_ I been?!” He snapped. “You think the whole ‘wizard’ rumor was a _compliment_?! I’ve always been a ‘bad kid’, a ‘bad son’. You asked if I knew anything about expectations, well, try being the outcast son of the mayor, or the farm boy that can’t do any farm work! I tried using alchemy to help people and it only made them hate me. I tried giving it up once, but they _still_ hated me because I was…unnatural! I don’t have a _single_ friend, and even my _own father_ hates me! All I ever wanted was to make him proud of me, _just once_.” He looked at her, his eyes shaking with tears he was trying to fight. “For _once_ , I’m actually being what people _expect_ me to be. I’m actually living up to what they _say_ I am! A bad kid! A troublemaker! A traitor! _A failure of a son_!”  
  
He walked on ahead of her. “Yeah, I _know_ I did wrong! I _know_ I’m a criminal, I _know_ I’m a bad person! I’ll probably be thrown in prison or _killed_ for it, but at least I _tried_ to help! _I tried_! _Everything_ I have done was to try to help, but it only made people hate me more! I have wanted posters in the city! I have people throwing things at me if they see me! But, if it all leads to my father being released from his prison, then it’s all worth it.” He stopped, his body trembling. “If I can find out how to stop the rocks and free my father…then, it’s worth _everything_.”  
  
Ruddiger padded up to him and nuzzled him, trying to cheer him up. From Rapunzel’s perspective, he didn’t seem to be doing so well.  
  
She pursed her lips. By now, she knew, if she didn’t have mood potion running through her body, she’d have gone to his side and hugged him, saying that he was wrong, that he wasn’t what people say he is. But, that was the Rapunzel that was blinded by optimism. Because she knew, looking at him, he was _exactly_ what people said. He was dangerous. A troublemaker. He kept pushing forward even when everyone said “stop” and he didn’t care about the consequences for himself or anyone, as long as he got what he wanted. He was a danger not just to everyone else but also himself. He was a child that was too far in over his head and refused to back down.  
  
She walked over and stood in front of him, staring him down. “And once he’s out? What will you do? Will you turn yourself in and serve your time, or will you try to run and hide?”  
  
“It doesn’t matter.” He said quietly, bitterly. “ _I_ don’t matter, as evidenced by the fact that even the all-loving Princess Sundrop doesn’t even care I exist until she needs to _use_ me.” He looked at his gloved hands. “My body is a tool so that others can use my mind. I have never mattered to _anyone_. Even my _own mother_ left me when I was too young to understand _why_. I _still_ don’t.” He moved around her and walked on. “I keep trying to remind people I _exist_ , but _every time_ I just get my heart broken. Maybe it’s better if I just…disappear.”  
  
She blew at the hair in her face and turned to him. Okay, so _maybe_ this was a bad time to bring up this conversation. She needed him to be at his best right now, not wallowing in self-pity and, from the sounds of it, contemplating taking his own life. But then, wasn’t that just proving him _right_? If she cheered him up just to get him to be at peak performance so she could…ugh, he _was_ right! She was a horrible “friend”, and only really noticed him if he came to her or if she needed him to help her! No wonder he lashed out so badly! He’d been pushed and pulled and yanked and shoved and molded into what someone needed at the time and then left to pick up the pieces after they were done with him! How was she any better than Mother Gothel, using him over and over and giving nothing back? No, she was _worse_ than her, at least Gothel pretended she _cared_ more!  
  
This kid needed someone to actually care about him, _genuinely_. And, from the sounds of it, he didn’t have _anyone_. Not her, not Cass, not Eugene, not her father, not even _his_ father, and it shocked her that it took having her eternal optimism ripped away to actually look at this kid and see what the world had _done_ to him. From the bags under his eyes to the bitter words to the forced smiles to the hopeful looks, to the desperate trust he’d given before she’d squandered it and shattered him into pieces and left him to pick himself back up in the midst of a blizzard, the worst blizzard in centuries, she had _let_ the guards drag him off and throw him out. And then she’d left him without anyone to care for him, only disguised Royal Guards to torment him and paralyze him with fear.  
  
He was a _mess_ , and this Kingdom had done it to him. It’s no _wonder_ he didn’t care about Corona.  
  
“Princess?” He stopped and looked over at her. “Are you coming?”  
  
She nodded firmly and walked over to catch up to him. “Just contemplating the utter mess you are.”  
  
“Yeah, I’m a mess.” He nodded, as if it was a statement he’d heard so often he was expecting it to be said.  
  
“And it’s no fault of _yours_.” She looked at him, and _that_ got a reaction; his eyes widened a bit in confusion. “You’ve been so badly hurt that you didn’t have anyone to turn to. It’s no _wonder_ you’re acting this way. How long have you been alone? How long have you had no one to care about you, _at all_?”  
  
He jolted, his grip on his staff tightening a bit. “I…”  
  
“You’re not like this out of _choice_. You just said you have _no friends_ , your mother _left you_ at a young age, and your father _hates_ you. Have you really had _no one_? Is _that_ why you bury yourself in alchemy, because it won’t call you names or _hate_ you?” She bit her lip and reached out to place her hand on his, wrapping her hand around the staff a bit. “Have you… _ever_ …known what it’s like to be _loved_?”  
  
His eyes widened in shock and his lips quivered before he jerked back, letting go of his staff and wrapping his arms around himself as he bowed his head. “We’re…wasting time. We have to stop the war.”  
  
She sighed and set down the staff against the wall, then wrapped her arms around him, pulling him close. “You poor kid.”  
  
He let out a soft, choked sob and buried his face in her chest, his body jerking violently as he silently cried in her arms. She didn’t say anything, just held him and let him cry. When he finally seemed to calm down, she slowly moved her arms from around him and cupped his cheeks in her hands, looking down at him. “Let’s go stop that war, hm? Then we’ll save your dad. And about your mom? Forget her. _I’m_ your mom now.”  
  
He sputtered and then laughed, stepping back a bit. “You’re my…whaaaat? That’s so _weird_! We’re only four years apart!”  
  
“Doesn’t matter.” She huffed. “You’re still a brat that gets in over his head, but now that I understand you more, I’ve realized that your big issue is that you need someone to be an actual loving parent. And if ‘mom’ is too weird, call me your ‘sister’.”  
  
“ _Still_ weird!” He shook his head.  
  
“Come on, dork.” She grabbed his hand with one hand, the staff with the other, and pulled him along. “Let’s go stop my stupid dad before they finish loading up that boat.”  
  
Varian smiled a bit, then chuckled. “You know…I think I like you like _this_ better than your usual overly-optimistic self.”  
  
“Yeah, well, don’t get _too_ used to it. And I’m still me, I’ll still remember what I’ve said here. I just…had some realizations about you that I would’ve never had if I wasn’t…you know…like _this_.” She looked at him. “Maybe, taking mood potion isn’t so bad once in a while. You _do_ know the _cure_ , right?”  
  
“Heh, yeah. I’ve actually had it in my lab this whole time.” He admitted shamelessly.  
  
“…Okay, I’m going to _hit_ you and you absolutely deserve it.” She let go of his hand and whacked him with his own staff.  
  
“Ow! Okay, fine, I accept that.” He rubbed his head.  
  
She handed back his staff. “Seriously? _This whole time_?”  
  
“If I told you sooner, then you’d have just taken it and left. Besides, it would’ve incriminated me _way_ before I wanted to tell you.” He shrugged.  
  
“You…” She sighed. “Fine. You’re right. Well, at least it saves us time!” She threw her hands up and Varian laughed.  
  
She glanced at him and sighed a bit. Seriously, what kind of cruel God put this kid through such a messed-up life? Who decided that he would be the black sheep trying desperately to join the fold? She reached out and wrapped an arm around his shoulders, holding him closer. He glanced at her, then relaxed a bit, a shadow of a smile on his face.  
  
They made their way through the rest of the tunnel and reached the area beneath the vault. Rapunzel tensed, but Varian just walked over to the ladder, which was already lowered. “Right…you left this way before.” She recalled.  
  
“Couldn’t exactly go out the door.” He shrugged.  
  
“Didn’t have your powder?” She walked over and nudged him.  
  
He blushed a bit. “I didn’t think about it. Plus, it made more of an impact to just put down smoke cover and run back into this area.” He grinned.  
  
She rolled her eyes and climbed up the ladder. “Come on, let’s just get inside and to the throne room.”  
  
“Right.” He followed her up.  
  
\--  
  
Cassandra and Eugene were waiting for them when they got out. Varian used the powder on himself and Ruddiger, camouflaging himself.  
  
“Wait, he can _do_ that?” Eugene asked, looking at him. Or, where he was.  
  
“Yes, I was right, and we don’t have much time. We’re going to the throne room.” She offered Varian her hand and he took it before she pulled him along, Cassandra and Eugene on either side of them as they went to the throne room.  
  
By sheer luck, King Frederic was giving a speech. He didn’t seem to notice Rapunzel coming in, and she carefully made her way up and around while he was distracted, grabbing Varian and pulling both of them up to the rafters by her hair. The powder wore off when they were securely up in the rafters.  
  
“…far too long. Now, we will show him that Corona is not weak! We will show him why we are great!” King Frederic said as he spoke.  
  
Varian took off his bag and pulled out the glowing, green balls. “Alright. Ready?”  
  
“…topple his twisted, pompous ways…”  
  
Rapunzel nodded, grabbing her own. “Ready.”  
  
“…and bring an end to…”  
  
“Then, on my mark. Three, two…” They raised the knockout bombs. “Now!” He threw his and she threw hers and they all fell into the crowd, the room being engulfed in green smoke. They watched closely, prepared to grab more if needed, but it seemed to have worked and everyone was down.  
  
“Great…” Rapunzel sighed. “Now we have to carry all of them.”  
  
“Hah, yeah, you’ll have to get someone else to do that part. I’m staying up here until the coast is clear.” He closed his bag. “And, uh, not looking down again.”  
  
She chuckled and then pulled him close before lowering them both down. “Cass, get him to your room.”  
  
“Got it!” Cassandra beamed and took Varian’s arm, pulling him along.  
  
“Eugene, I need your help here.” Rapunzel called to him.  
  
“Y-Yeah, I’ll help.” Eugene walked over to join her.  
  
\--  
  
“It worked! It worked!” Cassandra said excitedly as she pulled Varian along.  
  
“Shh, keep it down.” He reminded her. “We’re not clear yet.”  
  
She reached her room and opened the door, then pulled him in and hugged him, pushing him against the door to close it. He sputtered a bit, feeling _very_ uncomfortable as she smooshed his face into her chest. “Now we just need the cure and the war will be stopped for good!” She stood back, putting her hands on his shoulders. “I _knew_ you were still a good kid!”  
  
He chuckled a bit. “I dunno…I made you into _this_.”  
  
“Is that bad?” She tilted her head. “I mean…I kind of like it. Is that weird?”  
  
He blinked. “Uhm…I…don’t know.”  
  
“Hey, why don’t _you_ take it?” She asked eagerly.  
  
He glanced away. “Ah, no. I…I took it once, just to try it out…did _not_ like it.”  
  
“What was it like?” She asked.  
  
He pursed his lips. “…Like something I don’t want to be again. Like I wasn’t…myself. Like I’d been taken over by something else, something darker, crueler.” He walked to a mirror in the room, staring at himself. “It only lasted an hour, but I felt the urge to _kill_.”  
  
She gasped. “Oh, wow. That’s dark.”  
  
He nodded. “I didn’t, though.”  
  
“Well, that’s good.” She nodded. “How did you avoid it?”  
  
“I think it was too much effort to dissolve the goo I put in front of my door. I was both bloodthirsty…but also lazy.” He admitted. “I didn’t want to do _anything_ , but I also wanted to _kill_ King Frederic. It was _really_ unnerving.”  
  
“Bloodthirsty, but lazy. Which means that, in actuality, you’re a sweet kid that works _real_ hard!” Cassandra said cheerfully.  
  
“Yeah.” He nodded. “But, I don’t know about ‘sweet’.” He turned to her. “We need to get people evacuated to the boats. The black rocks have spread into the tunnels.”  
  
“Ohh. That’s bad?” She asked.  
  
“Yes, Cassandra, that’s bad!” He ran to the door and threw it open before running out. She followed after him.  
  
\--  
  
“Rapunzel!” He called, running up to her.  
  
“Varian, you’re supposed to be hiding!” She reminded him. “Don’t make me drag you there and knock you out!”  
  
They heard something crashing through the floor and he paled as he turned to see black rocks coming into the castle. Rapunzel pulled him close and Cassandra and Eugene ran to their sides.  
  
“What do they want?” Eugene asked fearfully. They could hear people screaming outside and Varian covered his ears, squeezing his eyes shut.  
  
Rapunzel reached back and let her hair down as black rocks started to surround them. “I think it wants _me_.” She said as they closed in more. They knelt down, huddled together, and then they were completely encased in the black rocks, in the darkness.  
  
And then her hair began to glow, lighting up their confinement. She focused and her hair started to drift up and then touch the rocks. They burst open and then they watched as they flattened one by one, all the way out the door and towards Old Corona.  
  
“What…?” Varian frowned.  
  
“Let’s go see.” Rapunzel encouraged.  
  
“What about your dad?” Cassandra asked.  
  
“Right. Let’s lock up everyone in the dungeons, and _then_ go see.” Rapunzel said, moving her arms from around Varian’s shoulders.   
  
\--  
  
After hiding Varian again, they set to work moving everyone to the dungeon. With difficulty, and the help of overly-helpful guards who were like Cassandra and some not-so-peppy ones that just didn’t want the war, they got everyone in support of the war locked up. “Right.” Rapunzel nodded. “I’m going to get this whole mood potion thing handled, and then I’m going to find out what’s the deal with those _rocks_.”  
  
She headed off to Cassandra’s room to pick up Varian and found it empty. “Varian?”  
  
“Heard you coming, used the powder. Let’s get out of here.” He said, taking her hand.  
  
She nodded and pulled him along, taking him out of the castle and to the woods where her borrowed horse waited. By the time they got there, the powder had worn off and she helped him and Ruddiger up onto the horse and climbed on behind him. “Alright, Varian. Time to get this mess handled.”  
  
He nodded, glancing away. With a “Hyah!” from Rapunzel, they were setting off back to his home. As they raced through the woods, he glanced back at her and wondered if she’d care this much about him once she was back to normal. Somehow, he doubted it. When she was her true self, she was all optimism and false promises. This Rapunzel that was meaner but bluntly honest and confident, he preferred this one. And hadn’t Cassandra liked herself as she was now _better_?   
  
“Wow, look at them.” Rapunzel said, looking ahead of them. “They’ve all lowered to become a path.”  
  
“Hm?” He looked down. Oh, the rocks. Right.   
  
They rode on until they reached Old Corona and he looked ahead of him in shock. The wall surrounding Old Corona had a huge gash in it, allowing anyone to freely come and go.  
  
“Wow.” Rapunzel stopped the horse and they got down. “That…wow. Doesn’t it look like they’re leading us somewhere?”  
  
“’Us’?” Varian raised an eyebrow.  
  
“Uh, haha, you think I’m going to leave you in _here_? With my _dad_?” She headed for his lab and he followed her. “Thinking about it, it’s _good_ I never mentioned you to him and he was so focused on your fake letters from King Trevor. He would’ve had you _killed_.”  
  
He nodded. “Yeah…or chained up and enslaved.” He said grimly.  
  
She looked at him with concern. “ _Both_ are bad.”  
  
He shrugged and they went into the lab. He took out the extra knockout bombs and pulled out several bottles with a purple liquid inside them from inside of his cabinet and put them into his bag. “Right. Time to make sure everyone in the city gets this.” He closed his bag and pulled it onto his back.  
  
Rapunzel glanced to the side. “...You know…this isn’t so bad. It’s nice not being completely run by my optimism. I have a clearer head.”  
  
He looked at her. “…But, this isn’t _you_.”  
  
She sighed. “Yeah. I know. But, maybe I can try to be _like_ this. Sort of. In a way. Maybe not so _mean_.” She smirked.  
  
He nodded, then turned to the amber. “We’ll be back, dad.” He gripped the straps of his backpack. “What…what will you tell everyone, Rapunzel?”  
  
“That some unknown attacker put mood potion in the food and you helped me fix everyone.” She shrugged. “Maybe we can blame the Separatists of Saporia, I’m sure they can’t hate us any more than they already do.”  
  
He laughed a bit. “Wow.”  
  
She shrugged again. “If nothing else, it’ll get them to leave you alone. Hey, maybe we can blame your stealing the flower on the mood potion, too!” She headed for the door.  
  
He glanced away. “But your father knows different.”  
  
“And you know different about my father, but you’ll just have to keep your secrets about each other for the sake of peace. I mean, honestly, your little feud nearly started a _war_ with Equis as collateral damage!” She threw her hands up. “Now, come on! The sooner we fix everyone, the sooner we can try to free your father.”  
  
He nodded, following her out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, THAT'S what the rocks wanted?


	3. 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time to cure everyone and then get some answers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (c) Disney

Rapunzel watched as Varian carefully measured the potion into the mixture. “So…how _did_ you manage to get it in?” She asked.  
  
He grinned. “Slipped into Atilla’s bakery and put it in the purple cake frosting. No one even noticed.”  
  
You’re scary.” She said seriously, then grinned and nudged him. “That’s actually really smart!”  
  
“Thanks!” He started to mix up the batter. “Alright, are the pans ready?”  
  
“Yep!” Cassandra held them up.  
  
“Good.” He carefully put in food coloring to change the color from purple to yellow. “There, that should do it.” He finished mixing it up, then went to put it on the pans.  
  
“So, how did you get this idea, anyway? The whole…putting the potion in sweets thing.” Eugene asked nervously.  
  
“Everyone in Corona has a sweet tooth. That’s why _Monty’s Sweet Shoppe_ is the most successful business in the entire city.” Varian said casually, then opened the oven to put the cookies in. “With the castle ovens, we can cook more at one time than I could with just my single oven.”  
  
Rapunzel nodded, helping him by filling the other ovens. “You did pretty good with just the one, though.”  
  
“Meh, it just took longer.” He closed the oven and then stretched. “Phew, I’m tired.”  
  
“You’ve been working so hard.” Rapunzel rubbed his head.  
  
“Don’t patronize me.” He brushed her hand off.   
  
She smirked and gave him a playful punch, instead. “Okay, then.” She said as he held his arm with a wince of pain.  
  
“Okay…uhm…can you _not_ do that, thanks? Kiiind of got a bruise there.” He admitted.  
  
“Oh, whoops.” She shrugged. “Sorry. Is that my fault?”  
  
“Nah.” He shook his head. “It hasn’t been that long since the Royal Guard left me alone, and it’s still healing.”  
  
They left the cookies to bake and sat down on the kitchen floor to wait. With the kitchen staff all off chasing rainbows or whatever else, it gave them full reign of the kitchen and so they didn’t have to worry about Varian being out in the open here.  
  
“S-So…” Eugene picked at his shirt a bit. “This has been… _wild_. And interesting. And kind of scary.”  
  
“But we _totally_ understand why you did it, I mean, we were _terrible_ to you!” Cassandra assured him. “You didn’t deserve everything we put you through! Wow, what was _wrong_ with me, how could I just watch you get tossed out in the snow?” She gasped. “Do I even have a _heart_?!”  
  
Varian sighed, looking to the side. “Yeah, well, try telling me that when you’re yourself, huh?”  
  
“I will!” She nodded.  
  
They heard some skittering and Ruddiger perked up to see Pascal coming into the kitchen, probably in search of a snack. He stopped short when he saw them and warily climbed up a counter to grab some fruit before he lowered onto Rapunzel’s shoulder, squeaking suspiciously. Ruddiger chittered back at them and Varian and Rapunzel just looked at each other and shrugged.  
  
“It’s okay, Pascal. They’re here to help.” Rapunzel assured him.  
  
Pascal tilted his head suspiciously, then started to eat the food he’d grabbed.  
  
Varian sighed and sat back, closing his eyes. Rapunzel couldn’t help but notice he looked _exhausted_ and she wondered when was the last time he’d had a decent night’s sleep? She scooted closer to him and coaxed his head onto her shoulder to use it as a pillow.  
  
“Aww.” Cassandra cooed.  
  
“Shh.” Rapunzel brought a finger to her lips, watching as Varian’s entire posture relaxed and he drifted away into proper rest.   
  
“That is so nice, I just didn’t expect it.” Eugene admitted.  
  
“What? Just because I’m not an insufferable optimist, it doesn’t mean that I have to _always_ be mean.” She frowned at him.  
  
“I-I didn’t say that. I just…you’ve really warmed up to him, huh?” Eugene said awkwardly.  
  
“We talked, he opened up. Did you know he’s been pretty much alone and unloved his entire life?” Rapunzel said, looked back at Varian.  
  
“Wait, but that doesn’t sound right. What about his beloved dad?” Eugene asked. “You know, his motivation for everything?”  
  
Rapunzel pursed her lips grimly. “Apparently, that love was one-sided. At least, his dad certainly never showed it to Varian if he _did_ care.”  
  
“Aww…” Cassandra whimpered and moved closer to take Varian’s hand in hers. “Poor kid…”  
  
“And we weren’t helping with all our broken promises and…we weren’t there for him. He was so eager to help us, but we just left him with his dad the day we met, even though he looked so scared and alone and emotionally damaged.” Rapunzel shook her head.  
  
“I mean, he cares enough about him to check him for any wounds. He asked if he was okay.” Cassandra glanced away. “Though…he _did_ say that he had problems with his dad always being disappointed in him. Wow, how could we just…not notice this?”  
  
“Maybe because I was so focused on keeping _myself_ happy, and trying to solve my _own_ problems and the ones in this city, I didn’t even _think_ about the problems that were on the other side of the woods.” Rapunzel said bitterly. “I didn’t even _think_ about the kid that I’d watched get dragged away by guards and thrown out into the _raging blizzard_ , and in my naivety and _stupid_ optimism I didn’t question what my father said about him being okay, about the rocks being handled, until Varian sent out a _cry for help_.”  
  
She sighed. “He kept talking about the Royal Guard terrorizing him for weeks. We thought they were there to stop us from getting the scroll and didn’t look at the bigger picture, such as ‘why wasn’t Varian in his own house if he called us’, ‘why were they coming from in front of us, not behind us’, and ‘how did Varian know to warn us about them before we went, if they were only there to keep us from getting the scroll’.”   
  
She looked at the boy sleeping next to her again. “He was there in that town when we arrived, somewhere, and we didn’t bother to even look for him. We didn’t bother to go back and check after escaping the guards. We were so focused on our ourselves that we ignored this…this poor kid, who was frightened and left alone for months while we did, what, partied and nearly summoned a demon? I was an idiot. And part of me doesn’t want to go back to that.”  
  
“But, we know now.” Eugene said nervously.  
  
“When I first left the tower, I wasn’t so blindly optimistic. I got _complacent_ , and poor Varian paid the price. You remember, right, Eugene? How I _was_ back then?” She looked at him. “I was wary, I was careful, I was _smart_ , and I didn’t take _anyone_ at their first word besides my ‘Mother’, and even with _her_ I wasn’t _completely_ complacent, not like I have been. And then I found my real family, my real life, and I just… _forgot_ about _everything_!” She clenched her fists. “The warnings of people that would _hurt_ me, the instincts that told me to not _trust_ anyone. I even got so upset about someone _not liking me_ that I _stalked_ him! I was so _fixated_ on my own happiness, on the fact that everyone loved me, that when something changed in that, I refused to let it go! I wouldn’t just accept that, sometimes, people don’t like you! And then when someone offered to take the weight of worry off my shoulders, I just let it happen and didn’t bother to check in. Oh, a kid I _claimed_ to be _friends_ with came to me in a _blizzard_ begging for _help_ and saying _his father was in trouble_? Leave _everything_ to dad and _forget he exists_!”   
  
She banged her fists on the oven behind her and Varian let out a soft whimper in his sleep, making her rethink her action.  
  
“I don’t know the extent of _pain_ and _agony_ he’s been through. He said he had a bruise on his arm from when the Royal Guard was harassing him. How much have they done to him in those six weeks, and why did I _never_ think to check on him? How selfish _was_ I, to completely…” She looked at her clenched fist and slowly uncurled her fingers. “And then I just stormed in and shoved him around. He didn’t know what would happen, he just used the mood potion, it was…it was a _harmless prank_ , and I shoved him, I _hit_ him, I…” She lowered her hand to her lap. “He _couldn’t_ have known that it might start a war, he _wasn’t there the last time_. Yes, he sent fake letters from King Trevor to throw off the scent, and yes, he did _drug_ everyone, but he couldn’t have known just what it would do to my father. The surprise in his face when he found out was _genuine_.”   
  
She eased him off of her and laid him down with his head on Cassandra’s lap, instead. “Why would my dad _terrorize him_ for _weeks_? Is it _just_ about supposedly attacking me, or is it something else? Maybe the rocks? He was one of only a few people in Corona to know about them, and he mentioned them when he said his father was in trouble. I…” She clenched her fists. “ _Before_ we take my father out of prison, I am getting _answers_ from him.”  
  
“Right.” Eugene and Cassandra said in unison.  
  
“I am _done_ being manipulated by _anyone_.” She stood up, glaring at the door to the kitchen.  
  
“That’s the spirit!” Cassandra said excitedly.  
  
“I am _done_ letting people get _hurt_ because of me!” Rapunzel said firmly.  
  
“Yeah!” Eugene said, smiling at her.  
  
“And I am DONE being ‘PROTECTED’!” Rapunzel yelled, throwing her hands up furiously. “I. AM. DONE!”  
  
“Loud…”  
  
She lowered her hand and looked over at Varian. “Whoops. Sorry.”  
  
He rubbed at his eyes. “What was _that_ about?”  
  
“Just me declaring my independence.” She shrugged.  
  
“Yay, good for you.” He lowered his head again, then jolted and sat up. “Cassandra!”  
  
“Hi!” She smiled at him. “Sleep well?”  
  
“I—uh—” He scooted back a bit, looking flustered. “Yeah. Uhm…thanks.”  
  
“No problem!” She hugged him and he let out a strangled sound, his face red, as she smooshed his face into her chest again. He pulled back and buried his face in her shoulder, instead.  
  
“Smells like the cookies are done.” He said, pulling back again and getting up.  
  
“Great!” Rapunzel nodded. “But, uh…I think I’ll stay like this a bit longer. You can give Eugene one, though.”  
  
They turned off the ovens and took out the cookies to cool. “Is this enough for everyone?” Cassandra asked.  
  
“And then some.” Varian said, shrugging.  
  
Eugene picked one up after it cooled up some and ate it. Varian watched him anxiously. “Eugene…?”  
  
Eugene grinned. “Don’t worry, kid. My confidence is back.” He rubbed Varian’s head. “It worked! Cassandra, your turn.”  
  
“Oh, uh, I’ll wait.” Cassandra glanced away.  
  
“Me too.” Rapunzel nodded.  
  
“Okay. Let’s pass it out to everyone else.” Eugene nodded.  
  
Varian looked at the other two with confusion and then they were too busy making sure everyone got a cookie to discuss it. Varian kept close to Rapunzel the entire time, letting her do the handing out but, at her suggestion, making sure people knew he was involved in fixing the problem.  
  
Finally, the only people left that hadn’t gotten any were the ones locked up in the dungeon, aside from Rapunzel and Cassandra. “Maybe…we just don’t tell them we found out who was to blame for it. It’s enough that they knew Varian helped us, we don’t need to point any fingers at someone else.”  
  
“Plus, he still has those letters.” Varian glanced away.  
  
“Alright.” Rapunzel turned to him. “Varian, do you want to come with me and Cassandra into the dungeon, or stay up here with Eugene?”  
  
Varian tensed a bit, then stepped forward. “I’ll go with you.”  
  
She smiled and took his hand. “Then, let’s go get those answers.” She led him into the dungeon with a tray of cookies, Cassandra and Eugene following.  
  
\--  
  
The dungeon was cold, dark and dismal. They walked together with Varian between them protectively, Cassandra placing her hand on his reassuringly as Rapunzel took the lead. “Alright.” She walked up to the cell block they’d shoved everyone in that room into. “Dad.”  
  
“Rapunzel.” He said, looking furious. “Are you the one behind…this?” He gestured to the bars in front of him. “Release me, _now_.”  
  
“Not until you’ve all eaten one of these cookies, _and_ not until I get _answers_ from you.” She stepped forward and the people in the cell could see Varian with her.  
  
“What is _he_ doing here?” King Frederic scowled.  
  
“Shut up and eat your cookie so you’re actually yourself instead of a warlord, _then_ we’ll talk about Varian.” She held out the tray.  
  
He took a cookie off the tray and handed another to his wife and Nigel, who were sharing his cell. Then Rapunzel handed the tray to Eugene, who went around giving cookies to the other affected ones.  
  
“Feel better?” She asked after her father finished eating.  
  
He closed his eyes, then sighed. “Yes. The irrational rage is gone.”  
  
“Good. Then would you mind telling me why you’ve been terrorizing Varian for weeks?” She snapped.  
  
“Did _you_ not eat one?” Queen Arianna asked with concern.  
  
“I figured my _optimism_ would get in the way. Now answer the question, before I have him whip up some truth serum for you and force you to tell me that way.” Rapunzel said firmly. “Oh, by the way, there’s a hole in the wall surrounding Corona, and the black rocks formed a path to outside it, so that’s something to check out.”  
  
King Frederic opened his eyes, his gaze on Varian. “If he had kept quiet, then I would not have had to force my hand.”  
  
“Kept quiet about _what_?” Varian stepped forward. “My village being destroyed by the black rocks? You and my father both know something about them, so talk! What are they, and where did they come from?!”  
  
“You’re not leaving this cell until you do.” Rapunzel said firmly. “And I have six weeks of pessimism left, so if you want me to eat the cookie _sooner_ , you’ll _talk_.”  
  
King Frederic sighed heavily. “The black rocks are from the Moonstone Opal.”  
  
“What’s the Moonstone Opal?” They asked in unison.  
  
“Oh, someone say ‘jinx’!” Cassandra encouraged.  
  
“Not now, Cass.” Rapunzel said, not looking at her.  
  
King Frederic glanced away. “The night you were born, your mother fell deathly ill. I was desperate to do _anything_ to save her, and you. So, I sought out the miracle of the Sundrop Flower.” He reached up and gripped the bars. “But, what I’ve never told anyone is that there was _more_ to the story. You see, earlier that night, I was _warned_. Warned that taking the Sundrop would reap unimaginable consequences. That, by removing the light, I’d be awakening a darkness.”  
  
He bowed his head. “I was warned by your father, Varian. He knew of the rocks because he comes from the Dark Kingdom, where the Moonstone Opal is contained. He knew of the dangers that would come to this Kingdom, but I did not heed his warnings. I felt I had no choice, however, so I took the Sundrop Flower and healed my wife and unborn daughter.”  
  
He looked up at them. “I’ve known of the rocks all along, and he _knew_ it. And _neither_ of us wanted _you two_ to know of them, but you found out anyway.” He stepped back from the bars. “When the black rocks seemed to stop at Old Corona, and Quirin had been encased by _your alchemy_ , I knew that I had to keep his _too-smart-for-his-own-good son_ contained before he did _any_ _more_ damage attempting to ‘help’. But the rocks spread out, and you somehow reached out to my daughter despite my efforts. And now…” He pursed his lips. “ _You_ sent the mood potion, didn’t you?”  
  
He glanced away. “Yes. I _didn’t_ know it would lead to you almost starting a _war_. I heard about your prank wars with King Trevor and thought you’d just accept this as another petty _prank_. It would wear off in six weeks, or Rapunzel would realize it was me or just come to find me to fix it, as she did.”  
  
“Six weeks?” Nigel asked in disbelief.  
  
“Well, that’s how long I was being hounded by the Royal Guard. I thought it was a good way to get back at you.” Varian looked at them. “But, it’s fixed now, and now those rocks have created a path.” He stepped forward. “You said that this ‘Moonstone’ sent the rocks, could it free my father?!”  
  
“I don’t know. Possibly.” King Frederic said, glaring at him. “Have you gotten everything you _wanted_ from this little stunt?”  
  
“Yes. And it was _intended_ to be _harmless_!” Varian clenched his fists. “Who knew that you could become worse than you _already are_. The fact that _this_ is your ‘good side’ makes me _sick_!”  
  
“Come on.” Rapunzel took Varian’s hand. “Let’s go see if we can use my hair to free your dad. And if it doesn’t work…we’re going to find that Moonstone.”  
  
Varian nodded, letting her lead him away.  
  
“Rapunzel, I forbid you from leaving!” King Frederic said firmly.  
  
She stopped and turned to him. “’YOU ARE NOT LEAVING THIS TOWER! EVER!’ Replace ‘Tower’ with ‘Kingdom’ and you’re no better than _her_.” She stormed off, pulling Varian along. “Eugene, you can let them out now!” She stopped and turned to them. “But, know this. Varian is _officially_ under my protection now, so you’ll have to go through _me_ if you want to hurt him any more than you _have_ , _dad_.” She pulled Varian close to her. “I’m _done_ letting you pull the wool over my eyes.”  
  
Eugene unlocked their cell and they stepped out. Rapunzel nodded firmly, then pulled Varian along.  
  
\--  
  
Varian gave all the animals the cure in their food and then Maximus and Pascal were, thankfully, back to normal. Then they were riding off with them to Old Corona.  
  
“Okay, so what do we need to do?” Rapunzel asked.  
  
“I’m going to stuff some of your hair into this drill and use it against the amber. Hey, maybe try focusing and making it glow like you did with those rocks.” Varian said as Rapunzel let her hair down.  
  
“It’s a thought.” She watched as he put her hair into the drill so a bit stuck out the other end.  
  
“Okay, ready?” He looked at her. She nodded and focused, making her hair glow. He pushed the drill against the amber and pulled the lever to turn it on, hoping that it would work this time. The drill whirred loudly and he pushed it further, cringing when he saw that it didn’t even make a dent.  
  
“Nn…”  
  
“Rapunzel?” He looked over and pulled the lever again to stop it before going to her side. “Rapunzel, are you okay?”  
  
“Did it…work?” She asked.  
  
He shook his head. “It looks like the chemical makeup of the amber is different from the black rocks. Whatever made the rocks explode at the touch of your hair before isn’t in the amber anymore.”  
  
“So…it looks like our best bet is that Moonstone he mentioned.” She slowly stood up and he assisted her. “Right. Let’s pack our bags.”  
  
He nodded. “Rapunzel…you still haven’t taken the cure.”  
  
“Ah, what’s six weeks of healthy pessimism?” She shrugged. “I should make notes to myself, so I don’t make the same mistake of becoming complacent when it wears off.”  
  
He nodded, then hugged her. “Thank you for trying. And for helping me clear my name and…everything.”  
  
She hugged him tighter. “I’m sorry I didn’t come sooner. I’m sorry I was such an optimistic, selfish idiot. I’m never going to let _anyone_ hurt you _again_.” She pulled back a bit and smiled. “And you can trust I won’t break that promise.”  
  
He sighed a bit. “I’ll try. I understand that things…things come up, and things happen.”  
  
She nodded and rubbed his head. “That’s true. Come on, let’s go find Cassandra and Eugene and tell them to pack up. We’re going on a road trip.”  
  
End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ADVENTURE IS OUT THERE!
> 
> (A/N: This was intended to be a one-shot but after I hit ten pages for chapter 1, I decided to make it a chaptered fic. Hope you enjoyed it!))

**Author's Note:**

> This silliness again?


End file.
